News and Updates

Midterms accomplished, election results are in, global unrest continues, holidays approaching...let's take a few minutes to check in with our students and ourselves.

Self-Care

Some of our favorite parts of the Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching, were the places where Artez-Vega, Darby, Dewsbury, and Imad remind us to take small and manageable steps to adjusting our practice, but more importantly to prioritize and care for ourselves. In normal circumstances it can be challenging for faculty to make self-care a priority, in times of increased stress and change, it becomes even more critical. Consider silencing news notifications, taking breaks from screens, going outside, engaging in mindful practices, spending time doing things for you, acknowledging your negative feelings, and showing yourself compassion (Vote4MentalHealth).

By prioritizing self-care, we not only sustain our own health but also model resilience and balance for our students.

If employees need access to short-term confidential counseling, be sure to check out the services provided by Concern EAP.

Mental Health Services for Students

Did you know that Ohlone College students receive six free mental health counseling sessions per semester? It's true! Have students complete the intake form and get connected with a mental health counselor.

Office hours

During the fall semester, the eCampus team is available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for drop-in support. Have questions, we'll find answers - we can't wait to support you!

If these days and time don't work for you, submit an eCampus ticket to schedule a 1-1 appointment.

During the Fall 2024 semester, you can find us in eCampus Office Hours Zoom on

Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Wednesdays, 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Professional Development

OER Online Training

Interested in Open Educational Resources (OER) as a way to promote equity? @ONE has new online instructor development courses in OER on their calendar.

@ONE (Online Network of Educators) offers a variety of professional development opportunities through the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. Check out some of their helpful OER offerings:

eCampus and @ONE promoting professional growth!

Accessibility Corner

Descriptive Links Revisited

Imagine your instructor sends you an email or announcement with a list of helpful resources but all the resource links say, “click here” or “https://www.website....” You wouldn’t know what each link is all about.

This is a real problem for users whether they are using assistive technology to read the content or not. It is important to write descriptive text for links to websites and documents for the benefit of all users.

The best practice for link text is to just use the text that describes the link’s destination, such as the webpage, electronic article or document title.

Examples (link text in bold):

“Click here to visit Ohlone College Technology Support,” try “Visit Ohlone College Technology Support for help.

“Click here to for the 2024 Feedback Form,” try “Leave comments in the 2024 Feedback Form.”

“Find out about captioning videos at https://www.ohlone.edu/sas/facultystaff/captioningvideos,” try “More information about captioning videos can be found at Captioning Videos - Student Accessibility Services (SAS).”

Descriptive Link tips:

Avoid non-informative link phrases such as:

- "Click here" or "here."

- "More" or "read more."

- Link to [some link URL]

- "Info."

If the URL is relatively short (such as a site's homepage), the URL may be used as the link text.

When images are used as links, the alternative text performs the function of link text. The alternative text should convey the content of the image and the function of the link.

That’s it for this week’s Accessibility Corner. Come back next time for more information, tips and tricks on making your content more accessible to all users.

Tech Updates

VPAT Approved Course Software

Why spend time searching for accessible outside software/programs to use in your course when they are already at Ohlone College. Ohlone College's IT department has list of VPAT approved software/programs.

The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a document that vendors use to report how their software/platform meets accessibility standards. Below are the latest VPAT tested and approved products at Ohlone College:

LibreTexts ADAPT & Libraries: LibreTexts ADAPT is a system of pre-built questions and assignments (quizzes) of groups of questions assembled by other users. Of course, you can create your own questions and quizzes (assignments) as well.
McGraw Hill Connect: McGraw Hill Connect is a learning management and content delivery platform that offers a suite of tools that facilitate increased engagement, more focused learning, and success tracking. Instructors can use Connect to create assignments, assign readings, and more!

For more VPAT approved software/platforms check out the IT Services Guidelines and Directives page.

Third Thursday Teaching Talks

Mark your calendars! Another Third Thursday Teaching Talk is scheduled for November 21 at 12:00pm. This time we will take a closer look at Adobe Express (previously known as Adobe Spark). Adobe Express is an incredibly valuable and easy to use tool to enhance student engagement and creativity. Come explore with us!

what do students say about canvas

We asked Ohlone College students and Alumni to share with us something a professor did in the Canvas portion of their class that they wish we would all do.

Students said:

"I found it really helpful when my professors kept all of the documents that we needed to reference a lot at the top of the modules page." - Amanda L.

"My professor would post videos summarizing the content we learned in lectures, which helped me reinforce the material more quickly and efficiently. If more professors adopt this, especially in Zoom and live classes, it will allow for increased learning." - Mariam N.

Notes from the team

We just wanted to take this opportunity to say Thank You! Teaching and supporting students is no easy task; Yet, despite the challenges and hard times (..and some rewards too!), you continue to inspire, guide, and support our students. Thank you for your unwavering care and support for not only our students, but each other. 💛

With deepest appreciation,

Mary, Andrew, Talal, Jackie, and Cat